A couple days in Yosemite
Apr 21st, 2010, 06:35 PM
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A couple days in Yosemite
I just spent a couple days in Yosemite. I've been meaning to visit ever since I moved to the Sacramento area a few years ago. I've made a few plans to visit with others, but they always fell through. Then I read janisj's trip report and it dawned on me that I could make a solo trip to Yosemite. So I did. Thank you janisj!
Here's a start to my trip report. I'll add more soon.
Dates: Mid April
Advantages:
1. It's relatively uncrowded, especially on weekdays.
2. The weather was gorgeous for the first two days of my three day visit.
3. The waterfalls were stunning. I've read that they're at their peak in May, but they sure seemed to be flowing in full force when I was there.
Disadvantages:
1. Lots of school kids stay at Curry village during the week during the school year.
This really isn't much of a problem (especially if you're not staying at Curry Village)
but I felt like I was back in middle school while eating breakfast at the Curry Pavilion. I wish I still had half the energy that those kids had.
2. The weather. It was raining when I left the valley and turned to snow soon thereafter.
Maybe you'll get lucky visiting in April, but maybe you won't. I felt sorry for those school chaperones who had to keep all those kids occupied during the lousy weather.
Lodging: I booked my reservation the day before I left. When I had looked earlier, Curry Village cabins weren't available, but a cabin opened up at the last minute so I booked it. When I arrived, they put me into Stoneman House. So if you can
delay booking until the last minute, you might end up with better options. This isn't much of a possibility if you're traveling a long distance. But if it's the off season, and you live relatively nearby and are flexible with your dates, this may come in handy.
Stoneman House is a one story, small and bare bones motel. No TV, no telephones, but that was fine with me.
Advantages:
1. Location, location, location. Walk about one block and you've got a gorgeous view of Half Dome and the Royal Arches. The bike rental facility was a two minute walk away. And there's a shuttle stop right about 15 feet from my room.
2. It's bear safe so you can keep food and toiletries in your room. As with anywhere else in Yosemite, you cannot keep these items in your car at night.
3. The heater worked beautifully. Although it got down into the 30s at night, I felt nice and toasty in my room.
Disadvantages:
1. Cost. It's way overpriced for what you get - but then everything in Yosemite is
overpriced. But you willingly pay it because it's Yosemite.
2. No tub, just a shower. After hiking and/or cycling all day long, I would have loved to have soaked in a tub.
3. There is absolutely no soundproofing - I could hear my next door neighbors plus
the all those shuttles stopping in front of my room. This wasn't a problem, however,
because I was absolutely exhausted after hiking and/or cycling during the day. I could have slept through an explosion.
Here's a start to my trip report. I'll add more soon.
Dates: Mid April
Advantages:
1. It's relatively uncrowded, especially on weekdays.
2. The weather was gorgeous for the first two days of my three day visit.
3. The waterfalls were stunning. I've read that they're at their peak in May, but they sure seemed to be flowing in full force when I was there.
Disadvantages:
1. Lots of school kids stay at Curry village during the week during the school year.
This really isn't much of a problem (especially if you're not staying at Curry Village)
but I felt like I was back in middle school while eating breakfast at the Curry Pavilion. I wish I still had half the energy that those kids had.
2. The weather. It was raining when I left the valley and turned to snow soon thereafter.
Maybe you'll get lucky visiting in April, but maybe you won't. I felt sorry for those school chaperones who had to keep all those kids occupied during the lousy weather.
Lodging: I booked my reservation the day before I left. When I had looked earlier, Curry Village cabins weren't available, but a cabin opened up at the last minute so I booked it. When I arrived, they put me into Stoneman House. So if you can
delay booking until the last minute, you might end up with better options. This isn't much of a possibility if you're traveling a long distance. But if it's the off season, and you live relatively nearby and are flexible with your dates, this may come in handy.
Stoneman House is a one story, small and bare bones motel. No TV, no telephones, but that was fine with me.
Advantages:
1. Location, location, location. Walk about one block and you've got a gorgeous view of Half Dome and the Royal Arches. The bike rental facility was a two minute walk away. And there's a shuttle stop right about 15 feet from my room.
2. It's bear safe so you can keep food and toiletries in your room. As with anywhere else in Yosemite, you cannot keep these items in your car at night.
3. The heater worked beautifully. Although it got down into the 30s at night, I felt nice and toasty in my room.
Disadvantages:
1. Cost. It's way overpriced for what you get - but then everything in Yosemite is
overpriced. But you willingly pay it because it's Yosemite.
2. No tub, just a shower. After hiking and/or cycling all day long, I would have loved to have soaked in a tub.
3. There is absolutely no soundproofing - I could hear my next door neighbors plus
the all those shuttles stopping in front of my room. This wasn't a problem, however,
because I was absolutely exhausted after hiking and/or cycling during the day. I could have slept through an explosion.
May 6th, 2010, 04:06 PM
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Um, no, I hadn't posted since - but I guess I can start the next section now.
What to do in Yosemite
1. Ride a bike.
Riding a bike is, IMHO, the best way to make a trip around the valley.
If you drive there, you can bring your own bike. However you get there, you can rent a bike. I chose to rent a bike instead of schlepping my own.
There are a couple places to rent bikes in Yosemite. I rented from the location in Curry Village since I was staying there and the building was maybe 500 feet from my room. They only rent one speed bikes - a style similar to what I rode when I was a kid with bumpers and kick stands. They're kind of old and bulky, but the last time I rented a bike was last winter in Mexico. The Yosemite bikes seemed deluxe and stylish compared to the Mexican rental bikes. The seats don't adjust so you have to try on various bikes until you find one that's the right height for you. Also, some of the seats were really, really uncomfortable so keep searching until you find one that's comfy. I got to the rental office when they opened so I had my choice of bikes and was easily able to find one that fit me and was relatively comfortable.
They don't rent out locks - that's an advantage of renting old bikes, theft isn't much of a problem. They will include a helmet, but you don't have to wear one if you're over 17. (But as nurse, I have to urge you to always wear a helmet when riding a bike.) I brought my own helmet with me.
Yosemite is relatively flat, although there were a couple places where it would have been very nice to have had gears.
I don't know how well riding a bike works when the park is crowded, but it was a fabulous way to get around when the park was empty. And there weren't that many people in Yosemite when I rented a bike on a Monday in April.
There are several advantages to riding a bike in the valley. You can cover a lot more ground than by walking. You can get to a lot of areas that you can't reach when driving a car. And you can stop any time you want without having to look for a parking space. I would look ahead and see yet another stunningly gorgeous view and would just pull over so I could take a few pictures. Then I'd ride my bike a bit and pull over again to take even more photos, or go on a hike or just to enjoy the view.
The operating hours for the bike rental office differ depending on the time of year. It costs $9.50/hour or $25 for the day. Here's a link for more info:
http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activiti...keRentals.aspx
What to do in Yosemite
1. Ride a bike.
Riding a bike is, IMHO, the best way to make a trip around the valley.
If you drive there, you can bring your own bike. However you get there, you can rent a bike. I chose to rent a bike instead of schlepping my own.
There are a couple places to rent bikes in Yosemite. I rented from the location in Curry Village since I was staying there and the building was maybe 500 feet from my room. They only rent one speed bikes - a style similar to what I rode when I was a kid with bumpers and kick stands. They're kind of old and bulky, but the last time I rented a bike was last winter in Mexico. The Yosemite bikes seemed deluxe and stylish compared to the Mexican rental bikes. The seats don't adjust so you have to try on various bikes until you find one that's the right height for you. Also, some of the seats were really, really uncomfortable so keep searching until you find one that's comfy. I got to the rental office when they opened so I had my choice of bikes and was easily able to find one that fit me and was relatively comfortable.
They don't rent out locks - that's an advantage of renting old bikes, theft isn't much of a problem. They will include a helmet, but you don't have to wear one if you're over 17. (But as nurse, I have to urge you to always wear a helmet when riding a bike.) I brought my own helmet with me.
Yosemite is relatively flat, although there were a couple places where it would have been very nice to have had gears.
I don't know how well riding a bike works when the park is crowded, but it was a fabulous way to get around when the park was empty. And there weren't that many people in Yosemite when I rented a bike on a Monday in April.
There are several advantages to riding a bike in the valley. You can cover a lot more ground than by walking. You can get to a lot of areas that you can't reach when driving a car. And you can stop any time you want without having to look for a parking space. I would look ahead and see yet another stunningly gorgeous view and would just pull over so I could take a few pictures. Then I'd ride my bike a bit and pull over again to take even more photos, or go on a hike or just to enjoy the view.
The operating hours for the bike rental office differ depending on the time of year. It costs $9.50/hour or $25 for the day. Here's a link for more info:
http://www.yosemitepark.com/Activiti...keRentals.aspx
